DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA (April 11, 2017) – Highlighting its award-winning throwback weekend plans of celebrating the 1985-89 era of the sport, Darlington Raceway will have rock legend Bret Michaels perform the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 pre-race concert on Sunday, Sept. 3.

Michaels, known for his role as front man for the multi-platinum recording band Poison and as a highly successful solo artist, will perform a variety of Poison and solo hits spanning his multigenerational career.

Stage-front tickets to see Michaels perform the Bojangles’ Southern 500 pre-race concert are on sale now by visiting DarlingtonRaceway.com or calling 866-459-7223. A grandstand ticket must be purchased with pre-race concert access.

“Bret Michaels is an iconic singer and performer who will put on an amazing show for the fans during the Bojangles’ Southern 500 pre-race concert,” track President Kerry Tharp said. “Michaels, with the band Poison, was one of the top rock acts in the late 80’s, which fits into our celebration years of 1985-89 extremely well.”

Michaels is a multiplatinum global superstar who has turned his passion for music into a multi-faceted brand that encompasses record breaking touring sales, reality TV stardom, legendary songs that have sold over 32 million records, product endorsements as well as being a devoted philanthropist, all supported and followed by three generations of loyal fans.

Michaels was born in the small town of Butler, Pa., on March 15, 1963. Rising to fame as the front man of Poison, one of rock’s most iconic and enduring bands, he helped define the rock n roll scene on the Sunset Strip. Their massive success includes selling over 30 million records worldwide and numerous hit singles.

Equally as successful, Michaels’ solo career has charted its own course with multiple solo albums. His album, Custom Built, topped the charts, reaching #1 on Billboards Hard Rock list.

When this multi-talented performer is not touring he can be found both in front of and behind the camera as a director, producer and a reality TV superstar. His first foray into reality TV brought the record-breaking “Rock of Love with Bret Michaels” franchise to VH1, one of the most successful shows in the network’s history, shattering weekly rating records during its run. Following three successful seasons of the show, he teamed up with VH1 for the docu-series “Life As I Know It” setting even more records.

Michaels has also starred in and won the NBC hit, “Celebrity Apprentice”. Coming into the show as the underdog, his tenacity and business sense helped him win the series, raising well over $300,000 for Diabetes research.

Michaels, personally and through his Life Rocks Foundation, has helped raise tens of millions of dollars for charity and makes donations to not only diabetes awareness and research but to such causes as childhood cancer, Wounded Warriors, St. Judes Children’s Hospital, PetSmart Charities and more. Having been diagnosed with Type I diabetes at the age of six, Michaels is passionately devoted to raise awareness of the debilitating disease in hopes of finding a cure.

He has partnered with both the American Diabetes Association and the JDRF acting as a spokesperson and sponsor, earning him numerous awards from a variety of organizations including the ADA’s first ever Chairman’s Citation award.

For more information on Bret Michaels, please visit the official web site: http://www.bretmichaels.com.

Darlington Raceway’s award-winning throwback campaign is now The Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR featuring the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500® on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. The NASCAR XFINITY Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 will race on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017. Tickets are on sale now by calling 866-459-7223 or visiting DarlingtonRaceway.com.

You can keep up with all of the latest news from Darlington Raceway at DarlingtonRaceway.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DarlingtonRaceway and on Twitter at Twitter.com/TooToughToTame. Fans are encouraged to post their Bojangles’ Southern 500 stories and memories at #TraditionContinues, #BojanglesSo500 and #SportClips200.